the violent shade of lilac
by Hazel the weird
Summary: It is already midterm when a new girl arrives. Snape is curious about her, and yet he can't imagine how she is going to change his entire life... Nothing to do with HBP or DH, please R&R!
1. a new student

Disclaimers: The characters are not mine, and never will. They belong to JKR, and ever will.

A/N: I just invented a new character for this story, the war is over, and Snape still alive, as it should have been, I dare say, at least up to my mind. English is not my first language, so I would be pleased to get some reviews to improve my writing and the vocabulary.

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'_OH! I see! There is a lot of courage… and plenty of skill. Though you're older than all the other heads I'm usually placed _

_on. And you have a great talent to cover your emotions. You first think and than talk, don't you?'_

'Well, yes, that is. What is that supposed to mean?'

'_You are intelligent, my girl. I would say little, but you aren't. You are capable of thinking. For that, you would be great in _

_Ravenclaw. But, wait… there is something more. You are a true friend, aren't you? And loyal as well. But that won't come _

_easily. You don't trust imediately. One's to gain your friendship, which leaves you alone most of the time_!'

'That is not true, you know. I do have friends. Few, that may be so, but true.'

'_I may assume, then. Well, you've got no friends here, as a matter of fact. And the only house you will find the friends you're _

_looking for, is…… GRIFFINDOR!!!_'

The strange, tall girl took off the sorting hat and turned to face the table that had just started to cheer. That had to be Griffindor,

then. She sat down in a chair and faced the old man, wearing bright blue robes and halfmoon spectacles. "Welcome then in the

house of Griffindor, Miss Rivkin. We all wish you the best." He sat down on his own chair and started eating. The girl had

placed herself between a girl with bushy brown hair and a boy with a lightning-shaped scar on his forehad. "Hi!" the girl said in

a low voice while she helped herself to a pair of potatoes. "My name is Hermione Granger. Nice to meet you!" The girl looked

up at her face to see it smiling. She smiled to. "Hello, Hermione. I'm Hope Rivkin. Don't ask what my mother tought. I'm

pleased." She offered Hermione her hand. "Hope is a really beautiful name and so meanful and encouraging, isn't it, Harry?"

The boy with the scar nodded. So it was really Harry Potter. The one who beat the Dark Lord twice. But he had not stopped her

parents being killed. But that was not his fault, Hope knew. Harry looked at her. "I'm Harry, Hey Hope!" he simply said. "Yeah,

I knew." He scanned her, she could tell by the look on his face. She was tall and musculus, not yet heavy. Her face was a cute

one, that looked older than she could possibly be. Her hair was all lilac. If that was normal or magically forged Harry could not

tell, but she looked good and very handsome. Ron looked at her in great interest. "It's Ron Weasley, nice to see you!" She

smiled.

The food was good, but she wasn't able to taste all the things she wanted to."We're all in mid-terms already, how come you

arrived that late and did not start with us in the first year?" Hope looked at Hermione to find that she was really interested and

not just making any conversation. Yet she did not move her face or showed that she was affected so badly by this question. "I

went to Carglenloo Acient School for Healers and Mediwitches in Ireland. My familie always had been very good in healing, so

we decided that I should go there. During the war my parents had been killed and the school got destroied. My nearest relatives

live close to London. So I went to live with them and do my exams here. I'm a little bit older than you are, in Ireland school

starts with about twelve. And well, now I'm here." Harry, Ron and Hermione looked at her with shock and horror on their

faces. How could she just speak about her parents being killed and leaving her home with no emotion at all. "We're so sorry.

That must be…"

"Thank you, but I don't whant your regrets. Don't missunderstand me, that's really kind of you that you are concerned. But that

won't make them alive again. So no need to pity. One can spend all his life on pitting, and that's not what I will do. It

happened." At least now Hermione understood why she was so cold. It was her protection against intimidation and insults, but

it was not right to cover all emotion with that little smile on her face, that conceled all other shiftes. She never had looked

different that evening. She just smiled a little. She now saw that Hope was scanning the high table with her eyes, the only part of

her body that constantly seemed to move. She paused on every teacher for a moment, a little bit longer on Dumbledore, perhaps,

when she finally reached Snape. Severus Snape, the poitions master of Hogwarts. He looked back at her, directly into the eyes.

Hope felt how he tried legilimency on her, but she quickly shielded her mind. He got aware of her being able to do occlumency

and hastily looked away."Hermione, please tell me who the tall pale one is…" Hermione needed not to look at the high table to

know who she meant. "That's professor Snape. He's the…"

"Poitions, I dare say. Otherwise he wouldn't have that oily hair… He just tried legilimency on me. I wonder what he was

looking for…." Hermione gasped. "He did what? And what has he seen?" Hope looked at her, not showing if she was upset or

thinking she was silly by asking that, and smiled: "He has not seen anything, I believe. I'm totally aware of doing occlumency.

But it shocked him, he does not dare to look at me again…"

Meanwhile professor Severus Snape had been looking at the new girl in interest for a while. She had been sorted into

Gryffindor and sat between Potter and Granger. She was really interesting, indeed. She was older than all other students, Albus

had told him. And she looked intelligent. And, he had to admit, handsome, even if her eyes showed that deep pain inside that he

just knew to well. She had suffered a lot, like him. Normaly he didn't like his students, but she was different. She really was, he

could feel that. He watched her a few minutes. She was constantly smiling, but it was a certain smile with no emotion he had

always used when he had been among the Death Eaters and the Dark Lord. That was not up to the usual with these youngsters.

Normally he could tell by the looks on their faces, their moving and acting what they were up to, but with her he couldn't. She

looked at him exactly that moment, their eyes met for a second, and without really knowing why, he thought '_Legilimence_!'.

But as soon as his mind he found hers, he was blocked. She knew how to shield her mind as well, and with great power that

made him quickly look away. She just knew how to do Occlumency. There were few students who ever managed to do that so

well, not even holy Potter, he had recently achieved very poor results in shielding his mind. But this girl, she knew what to do,

and so she did. Snape did not dare to look at her again. Maybe she was also able to do Legilimency on him… and he loved his

thoughts covered like her. After dinner he left the room quiet fast to avoid meeting her in the great hall. It was the next day she

should see him again, in the dungeons classroom in poitions. Then she could show what kind of witch she was.


	2. so alike

Hope went to bed rather fast, she was tied and wanted to avoid any questions so late. She had already told Hermione what had happened that she came in mid-term. Should she tell the others then. She didn't care very much, she only wanted to sleep. So she fell onto her four poster bed in the girls' dormitory and fell asleep imidiately.

'Miss Rivkin, my name is Albus Dumbledore, I'm pleased to have you here at Hogwarts. I hope you had a good journey?'

'Thank you, headmaster, yes, it was quiet a pleasure. Very fast, at least. It will take time to feel home, I suppose.'

'Of course it will. Certainly it will take even more time than you expect now. But that should not worry you at the moment. There are more urgent things to be discussed. What about your school in Ireland? What have you been doing last? I hope you will not have any problems with coping up with the lessons. If so, please let me know…'

'I don't think so, professor. We did nearly the same things. Maybe in poitions a little bit more, and of course in charms. I'm afraid I don't have any experiences with defence against the dark arts and Astronomy…'

'You may drop these subjects then. You have to choose five for your N.E.W.T exams. So that will be Poitions, Charms, Transfiguration, Acient Runes and Herbology?'

'Yes, sir. I think so.'

'Well, that leaves us to the question which house you'll be in. I think we do the sorting at dinner. Do you have any remarks?'

'No, sir. I'm just a little….unbalanced at the moment. I'm not sure weather I am in a right state of my mind or not. It's been so confusing…. And terrible at the same time. What if they find out? My fellow students? What if they learn why my parents died? How can you be sure that everything will be fine? I heard rumors that here are some children from… let's say pureblood families around. What if they know?'

'Miss Rivkin, be secured that nothing can happen to you. No one will try to harm you. Your fellow students will have to learn that your parents fought the evil, And by doing so, they had been killed…'

'But…'

'There is nothing more to be said at this point. You make sure that you are prepared, then you shall be sorted.'

'What if I'll be in Slytherin…'

'I'm sure you won't. Never worry about that. A good first week, then. If you like to talk to me again, never mind. I'll be here.'

'Thank you, professor.'

Hope awoke with a start. She looked around, it was dark and gloomy. She had dreamed of the meeting with the headmaster. She used to dream of things that happened not so long ago. Recently she had been dreaming about her parents deaths, so now it had changed… She got out of her bed and listened. The other girls were still fast asleep. She made her way out of the dorm down to the common room. It was quarter past five, a good time to go looking out for the library. She had no books yet. With a flick of her wand she got fully dressed and climbed out of the portrait hole and strode along the deserted corridor. She did not know to the slightest where the library was supposed to be, but for sure… she stopped. A cat sat in her way, a cat with big yellow eyes. She mewed loudly and only seconds after that a tall unshaved man with filthy hair appeared from a secret passageway to her left on the cats' side. Mr. Filch, the caretaker looked upon her, a nasty smile crept along his face."Out of bed that early? May I ask what you're up to?" Hope looked confused into the direction on the wall where the man had appeared out of, but she couldn't see a door or anything like that. "I'm just on my way to the library… I arrived only yesterday and I don't have books yet. I just wanted to look something up…"

"That's a new tale, very well. I shall report you…"

"Thank you, but that is certainly not nesessary. I dare say that will be detention, Miss Rivkin. Thank you once more, Argus. Please, leave us alone." Filch looked from the professor in the shadows to Hope and left the scenerie. "To the library, wasn't it?" his sneer was unmistakeable entertained. "First day, and already in trouble… oh dear, typically Gryffindor."

"I don't think that it is right that I got detention. I had a brief look into the rules of behaviour, set to this school on 25th of october in 1246. students are allowed out of bed from five o'clock on… and when that man and his cat met my way, it had already been quarter past five… may be even later. So I'm breaking no rules at all…" Snape looked at her for a split second, then smiled. "You've done your work better than most of the students here. But that still means detention, for revolting against a teacher." He looked at her closely. No sign of embarassment or anger crossed her face or her eyes. He was not sure what to do now. He never had a student before that was so skilled in shielding mind and body from emotion. "then I shall be in detention. May I ask you a favour, professor Snape?" He starred at her, but said nothing in reply. "Would you please show me where the library is? Because there I were heading to, when I was stopped." Snape gave a curt nod and swept off, his black cloak billowing around his feet. She had to be in a run to follow him. He strode so fast along the corridors that it was hard for her to keep up with his speed. After some minutes of entire silence exept the sound of their footsteps, he came to a halt in front of a large, heavy wodden door. "Here we are, then! What are you looking for, anyway?" Hope smiled, not yet revealing any emotion, said: "Poition is my first subject this morning, and for there are only two poitions I've not mastered yet, I wanted to look them up before lesson. I heard that the poitions-master of this school is very strict man, not willing to accept 'I've just arrived yesterday' as an excuse for not being able to do a poition right away. I wanted to be prepared." Snape looked agast. She had the nerve of insulting him? "I think that is another detention, Miss Rivkin…"

"But Severus, our young Miss Rivkin was certainly right…" Albus Dumbledore appeared from out of the shadow. "Good morning!" he smiled genuiely. "Good morning, professor." Hope smiled, Snape looked sour. "Albus." He just said. "I remember, when you were in her age, that you always headed to the library at that hour in the mornings as well, Severus? So why giving her detention? Just leave it, will you?" Snape nodded, but Hope could tell that her first detention with him would be even more terrible now. "never mind, Professor. I will take the detention as well. I should better keep my mouth shut in front of certain people, I know now." Dumbledore looked impressed and smiled a bit more, Snape was astonished and shocked alike, but he hoped that this girl hadn't seen it. So she would take two detentions with him then? Why? But Hope had realised that look on the poition-masters' face that was there for about a second or so. 'Shocked, are you?' she thought. She allowed herself to look pleased, just long enough to let him figure out that she just got what she wanted. "Headmaster, Professor!" she bowed low and opend the door to the library. "she remindes me of a certain student some years ago, Severus. Cunning, isn't it?" Snape shot a sideway glance at Dumbledore who looked amused. "Just give her the chance to prove herself. Her former school was a good one, and she'll be able to go through your classes with an 'O' in her N.E.W.T. . And you know that very well. So why punish her?" Snape shook his head. "Do you really think she is like me? I mean, she found friends right away… and her looks…" Dumbledore placed his hand lightly on the younger mans' shoulder and looked directly into his eyes. "I had a little conversation with our dear sorting hat. And it seems to be that he told her exactly the same as he had told you all these years ago on your first day here at school." Snape was surprised to hear that. "Is that?" he simply said and turned. "I will finish my rounds then, if students are allowed out of bed legally now…I shall see you at breakfast, Albus." The headmaster nodded and watched his poitions-master go away. Then he opened the door to the library and went to sit next to Hope, who just had looked up from her poitions book. No sign of surprise or question lay on her face, but she smiled. "The detention I already got would have been hell. So I decided to take both. Is that okay with you?" Dumbledore nodded and looked at her closely. "You feel insecure, don't you?" A nasty expression crossed her face as she got to her feet with a start. "How can you know?" she wispered. "I always close my… you didn't try… did you?" He smiled, for the first time this astonishing girl had shown any emotion since her arrival. "I don't have to, Hope. I feel it right away. One of the advantages of my age. An I help you? In any way?" Slowly relaxing, she got to her seat again. "You surely know what the stupid hat told me. And to be honest, I do feel alone. I always felt alone. There is nobody I could really talk with. Well, I guess that Hermione is really inteligent and a bookworm as well, but I need to go further. I want to invent, create and try what I've done… I need to." She closed her eyes. She felt save to tell him everything. He was an extraordinary man, her parents had told her that when the Dark Lord had come back to power again. And now she looked at him with all her fear, sadness and lonelyness on her face that she normally kept hiding inside her, very very deep."I understand that only too well, my dear Hope. You're talanted beyond my imagination, and I had only one student who was like you. Blessed with a great mind and intellect out of normal standards. And he was sitting on this very table before lessons every morning. Inventing, changing and reading." Her eyes narrowed. "Professor Snape? He seems bitter now. What happened?" Dumbledore shook his head."I would be not right to tell you what happened. If anybody can ask him directly, it would be you. You resemble him so much, dear. And he knows that as well. And, ah, good point, bitter he is… but you are, too. Aren't you? You don't take friendship on the light side. You are not trusting easily. Through the dangerous times we had all expierienced it seemed wise to do so, but if you don't allow anybody to discover your emotions, you will be left alone, like he had been… I shouldn't talk much further. Just…. Smile a little more often, Hope. You've been given a strong, powerfull name. So be it." With these words he got up and turned towards the door. "and a good first day for you…" he smiled, and was gone. Hope remained in her position for some minutes, thinking. Snape had been like her? A mind to share things with? Somebody who would really understand what she was saying? And moreover be able to respond to it? The only one who'd be able to would surely be Dumbledore himself. Mayxbe she should really think of the possibility to try Snape. He had not been friendly with her so far. But what if he was just protecting himself, like she did every day? She would have to trust, for the first time in her life.


	3. skills and deny

Hope had always been good in poitions. She had done the polyjuice-poition for the first time when she had been ten. And the Felix Felicis with eleven. She only hadn't done poitions with a partner yet, but knew everything about it.

She went down the stairs that led to the dungeons, together with Hermione, who tried to tell her what they had been doing this term so far, while Harry on her other side tried to warn her from Snape and how awfull he was. She gave him a warm smile. "I know. Let him just act. He'll see in time." They had reached the dungeons. Hope waited for the others to sit, just ten students attented this class anylonger. They had been working on an essay about the Draught of living death. She had thought about that and had written an essay herself in the library this morning. When all other students had found their seats, she placed herself on the last free table, alone as normal. Snape came in just a second later and stopped in front of his desk. "Would you mind telling me where your properties are, Miss Rivkin?" he sneered. "Of course, Sir." She answered politely and stood up before going on. "My properties have not been send yet, my school had been destroied and I had no chance to buy new. But if you would be so kind to hand me something to transform, I could at least have a cauldron. And I'm sure Miss Granger will lend me some of her ingredients." She sat down again. He looked at her with his black, expressionless eyes. "Five points from Gryffindor, for being not prepared at all. Tell me what we need for our poition, and I requested two rolls of parchment about it. Well? That would be ten more points…what is that?" she had unpacked her essay. "The essay you wanted. I didn't know it was supposed to be two rolls. I did four. I hope you don't mind." He stood flabbergasted and looked at her. She sensed a glance of amazement, but it swept away as soon as it had come. "What do we need?" he demanded. Hope stood up again, looking in his eyes, not blinking. He was taller than her, she reached his nose. "The ingredients are quite simply, but the brewing takes two weekes if done correctly. You need to add powdered root of aspodel to an infusion of wormwood, heated on a low flame, to get it slowly to temperature. The poison Thujon degenerates in a temperature of 56 degrees. And only on that point of heating. You need to stir clockwise every hour seven and a half, but I would add a counterclockwise after the second stir, that separetes the Absinthin and increases the efficency." She sat down. All the others looked at her now, astonished and frightened the same, they all wondered what Snape would do now. "Thank you, Miss Rivkin. If I had asked you to give your opinion on the brewing, I would have said so. Five points from Gryffindor. Start now, and Miss Rivkin, I'd ike a word with you about your detention after the lesson." Hope simply nodded and went to start. She had done it so many times before.

The lesson was finally over and Hope left her poition on a lower flame than all the others. Snape noticed that in an instance. No student had left the room yet, and he sneered: "If you want your poitions to work, I would advice you to take the same flame level like Miss Rivkin. Class dissmissed." Hope waited for the others to leave, than walked to Snape's desk and waited for the poitions master to speak. She stood there, 15 minutes in silence, when he finally turned to her. "Well, you've got some manners, at least. Your detention will be at seven next week on friday evening, if you don't mind." He knew that there was a Gryffindor party that evening, and she knew as well, but obeyed immidiately. "That's fine with me." She smiled. Once again, he looked at her carfully. "You don't mind?" he had to ask. "No, sir." He nodded. "Leave then." She bowed and left the room, leaving a very confused Professor behind.

Hope found it easy to attend classes. She knew what to do and was happy to win housepoints for Gryffindor. On Friday she was early in the library again, missed breakfast and she just reached the transfiguration class in time. She sat down next to Harry, where a seat was free. "You alright? You haven been at breakfast." he asked and looked at her. "Yes, I went for the library and missed the time. I hope that lunch will be enough, I don't have much time today. You know my detention starts at seven this evening."

"What did you get detention for?"

"On my first day I was out of bed, well in time, but Snape did not seem interested in that fact."

"Just for that? Seems that he hates you even more than me. You haven't know him before?"

"I got the detention for beeing impacient, that were his words, I think. And an other for insulting him. That morning as well, wenn I was out of bed for the library. No, I don't think, I know him. I'm sure I would remember him." Harry looked shocked. "It was your first day here and you got two detentions before the classes even had started? That's a new record, I suppose. But there is the party in the common room this evening. I bet he knew…. The bastard!" Hope grined. "I know he knew. And you can't imagine how flabbergasted he had been when I had told him that this evening would be fine with me. I think I really got him!"

Professor McGonagall entered the class and shut the door closed. She looked around, the class became silent. "Miss Rivkin, would you please tell me what you have done so far in your former school and what you did last?" Hope got to her feet and told her Professor what they had been doing in Carglenlou. "And in one of our last lessons we started with Animagi." She finished. McGonagall looked at her through narrowed eyes and asked suspiciously: "Have you managed?" Hope looked at her for a moment, thinking if it was safe to tell her the truth. "No, Professor." Again the elder woman gave her a close look and nodded. "Fine, it's a big part of magic. And we're not doing Animagi in class, so never mind." Hope bowed and took her seat again. Harry, who had noticed her hesitation asked quietly: "What's the form?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Harry. I cannot shapeshift. I never learned… properly." Harry was sure that Hope was able to change into an animal, but had not the chance to got further, because Professor McGonagall parted them in pairs and they were to change the other ones hair. Afterwards they should try their own, but that was difficult. Hope got paired with Harry and he swung his wand. Hope's lilac hair went long and red. She looked like Ginny Weasley now. "I see!" Hope grinned, Harry blushed to a deeper red than Hope's hair und Ron shot a glance at him, but was immediately taken aback because his hair suddenly was green and waistlong. He started shouting at Hermione who started to laugh. Her bushy hair did not change one bit, Ron looked sour. The lesson was fun for all of them. When the bell rang Hope's hair had turned back to normal lilac and Harry wasn't wearing a bright pink ponytaile anymore. They passed out into the sunlight, the day was over and Hope had about three hours until she had to be in detention. Harry, Ron and Hermione sat next to her on the edge of the lake and chatted in ease. Hope did not take part in the conversation, but listened carefully. "So, what's your form now?" Harry suddenly asked. Hope stared at him, but he couldn't tell if she was shocked, offended or simply surprised. He could never tell. "I think you missunderstood that, Harry. I am no Animagi, and I don't think I will ever be one. It's difficult and if Hogwarts will not teach us how to do, I will not complain. And you shouldn't either." Harry was surprised to hear that. "I know you can, Hope. You hesitated. I understand that you couln't tell Professor McGonagall, it is illegal to be not registered. But don't you think that you can trust us? Well we know you now just about two weeks, but I thought we're friends? We don't have secrets, you know!" Hope smiled, but looked down to her knees. 'Friends!' she thought. The sorting hat had told her so that she would find the friends she was looking for only in Gryffindor. They were good friends, of course. But neither of them was able to have proper conversation with her. Not even Hermione. In a way she was looking forward to having detention with Professor Snape. She wondered what he would do. If they would be able to talk with each other. Dumbledore had told her so. "Naturally, Harry. But don't make me tell you if I can. Some secrets are nice. And you will keep on thinking about that. I like it that. Stop asking. Or I'll hex you into something really nasty." She grinned and looked up to the great clock. "I should better be going. It's ten to seven. Have a nice party, the three of you. And don't regret I'm not coming. I'm no party-girl. I'll have a lot of fun myself, I dare say." Harry looked doubtfully at her. How could detention with Snape ever be fun? But he just nodded and watched her running up to the castle. "Smart girl, she is!" Ron said. "But she is to intelligent for you, Ronald!" Hermione demanded. "Besides that, she is a lot older than you are…" Ron turned into a bright red colour. "So what?" he hissed. "What if she comes to like me? Unlike you?" Hermione went silent and looked up to the castle. "I think she likes somebody else." And then she got up and left the two boys alone. "Wonder who she meant?" Harry shook his head. "I dunno."


	4. Trustworthy

Hope knocked on the door to the dungeon classroom. It was exactly seven o'clock. She heared Snape sneer

from inside to come in and she opened the door. "Good evening, Professor." She simply said and waited

next to the door for further instructions. "You're going to wash all the cauldrons on the desks. They have

to be clean. Really clean I mean. Do you understand? And give me your wand, you'll do without magic, of

course." Hope looked at him and hesitated. "Didn't you understand, Miss Rivkin?" he looked up to her.

Her face was smooth as normal, but she narrowed her eyes. "Sir, I won't use magic if I'm not allowed to.

But may I have my wand?" she asked. His face broke into a wide, false smile. "Afraid, aren't you?" he

wisphered. "I've see so many terrible things in my life… I know what it is like to be defenceless. It is

unlikely that something is going to happen here, but I like to be prepared. So if you don't mind…" Snape

stood up and interrupted her fiercly. "Yes, I do mind. Give me your wand and start! Now!" She didn't

change the expression on her face, nor did she say anything to complain. She handed him her wand an

started cleaning the cauldrons. Snape went back to his desk and went on marking essays.

Hope worked in silence for over an hour, when she heard the door crack. Somebody entered the dungeon,

but didn't bother to knock or ask for permission. Hope kneelt down next to the cauldron she was brushing,

when she heard a popping noise, and a flash of red light crossed the room towards her poitions master. He

just got his wand ready in time to reflect the spell, but was hit by a second one and flew backwards. He hit

the wall and moaned in pain. Blood was oozing from a cut above his brow and the next spell hit him hard

in the stomach. Hope crawled behind the desks to get near her wand. "You damned filthy traitor! You will

suffer the consequences of your unloyality now! You shall know what pain is!" Hope was just two feet

away from her wand. "_Accio_!" she wisphered in a low voice and jumped to her feet. Now she saw the three

hooded figures in front of her, Professor Snape lay on the floor at her feet, breathing heavily. He was

terribly injured, but yet not unconcious. "_Protego_!" she casted the spell over her Professor and faced the

three figures in front of her. They seemed to be pretty shocked to see her, because they had not reacted at

her appereance. "_Stupor_!" Hope jelled and hit one of the three next to her on the chest. He sunk to he

ground, the others looked confused, grabbed him and fled from the classroom. Hope cast another spell

after them, but did not follow. Hastily she got to her knees next to Snape and felt for his pulse. What spell

did the hooded use? She had never seen a spell do such a damage with one hit. He looked at her with

blinking eyes, blood cover the floor. "Do not move!" she told him and placed one hand on his forhead, the

other on his chest. She closed her eyes and a moment later Professor Snape felt he pain fading, his sences

came back to him and he found himself able to move again. Hope had her eyes closed in concentration, she

turned pale. She opened her eyes a brief moment and looked at him, and he saw the same pain he had felt

himself some seconds ago. She faded and rolled to his side. So was covered in his blood now, but he could

see the injuries he had received from his attackers now on her body, they grew in shape, cut her flesh in

exacly the same parts in which he had been wounded as well. He was not in his right mind yet. The curses

had shaken him to the bones. What the hell happened here? What had the girl done? Had she been injured

as well? Had he done it somehow? He flung himself to his knees and took his wand. He wanted to fix the

wounds. "_Episk_…"

"No!" she defended herself with her hands. "No, don't! Please don't! No, no, no, NOOOO!" In this

moment the door opened again and Harry and Hermione came in. They stood, dumpstruck and shocked.

Their eyes widend and Hermione screamed. Harry drew his wand. "You bastard!" he just said and

disarmed Snape.

XOX

"Why has he done that? There was no reason to do. He had been cleared of all charges. I thought he has

always been on our side, Dumbledore… Have we failed?"

"I don't think so. I trust Severus Snape completely. Yet I don't know what happened, and as Severus can't

tell us, we'll have to wait until she wakes up."

"What about Mr Potters and Miss Grangers statements? They said they saw him do to her."

"They reached the dungeonroom to late, I'm afraid."

"I have no choice, Albus. I have to take Snape to Askaban until we solved the case. He cannot stay here."

Albus Dumbledore stopped and looked sharply at the minister. "I will not give in to that. And you know.

He suffered beyond your imagination already, and I will not allow you to curse more pain. He is innocent,

and I give my word that he will not try to go anywhere…"

"You know I have to, Albus, so please let us go and get him…"

"Headmaster…."

"I already told you, I totally trust Severus. He will not go anywhere." The minister shook his head. "Have

you ever thought about being wrong concerning Severus Snape?"

"Headmaster!" Dumbledore turned at the sound of Hope's voice on his heel and sat down next to her. She

had opened her eyes and looked around. She lay in a big white bed in a huge room she had never seen

before. She looked at Dumbledore. He smiled at her. "It's good to have you back, Miss Rivkin." She tried

a smile herself, but failed. "He has done nothing!" she simply said and closed her eyes again. Dumbledore

looked at the minister. Hope opened her eyes again, with great effort. "I'll help you, Miss Rivkin, it will be

easier for you then!" he raised his wand. "No!" she rushed. "Leave…..it…..I'm fine…. Don't try to help

me." The minister looked taken aback. "Is she alright? Not confused or so? She needs help!" but

Dumbledore held up his hand to silence the minister. He withdrew the poition from her body she had been

given so far. Hope moaned in relief and closed her eyes again. Dumbledore and the minister witnessed

amazed how Hope's wounds closed slowly. Her breathing eased and she looked at the two man again.

"Are you able to tell us what had happened, Miss Rivkin, or shall we wait till you feel better?" Hope

smiled. "No, I'm just fine. I'll be okay in some hours. As always." Dumbledore nodded, but the minister

seemed to be confused. "You may correct me, if I'm wrong, but our dear Miss Rivkin is a fully developed

empathy. That to say she can take the injuries from another."

"That's right, headmaster. It's nothing unusuall in Carglenloo. Every third student is an empathy."

"Dear, would you please tell us what had happened in the dungeons?" Hope nodded and took a deep

breath. "I had detention with Professor Snape. He… made me give away my wand to clean the cauldrons

without magic. The door opened. I knelt next to a table, so I was not in sight. Somebody came in said

something about traitor and suffering pain now…I crawled to get my wand. I finally reached it, got up and

saw three hooded figures. Professor Snape was injured and lying on the floor. I casted a defensing spell

and attacked one of the three. I stunned him, and the other two were totally perplexed and they just took

their compainion….and left. I wanted to help Professor Snape. He was barely alive. I have never seen a

spell cast such a damage… I don't know what they used. I've never been good in telling, but in healing,

naturally. I took his pain for him and all the injuries as well. He was fine after that and he tried to help me.

Under normal circumstances it takes my body to recover just some minutes, but he was so terribly injured!

But with aditional magic the wounds cannot close. So I tried to make him stop helping me. And I guess at

that moment Hermione and Harry arrived. I heard Hermione scream…." Dumbledore nodded. "That

explains everything. Do you share the same opinion, minister?" the minister nodded, wished them a good

day and left the hospital wing. The headmaster was left to look at Hope. "If Professor Snape would

feel…..like coming here, would you mind?" Hope broke into a wide smile. "No. He's welcome. I just

need some rest."

"I shall leave you then, Miss Rivkin. I should say thank you. I knew that you would be special, but I didn't

know that you are so rarly gifted. It is good to have you here, indeed!" and with a last smile he left her

alone.

XOX

Hope was fast asleep when the door to the hospital wing opened and Professor Snape came in. He sat

down next to her bed and watched her carefully. Her chest rose and fell silently and she looked less pale

than he had seen her last. He just sat here and waited, exermining every inch of her. After half an hour she

finally woke up. Without opening her eyes she said with a warm tone in her voice: "Have you been waiting

for long?" Snape moved fast to face her and was fond to see her opening her eyes. "Not so long." He tried

a sneer, but failed in his attempt. "You are alright, I hope, sir." She looked directly into his eyes and once

more he got the impression that this girl could look straight through him. He nodded carefully. "I suppose

that is your doing." She broke into a smile, and for the first time Snape was able to tell her real emotions.

She was happy that he was okay, and she was glad he was here. But that could not possibly be. Nobody

was glad when he was around. "You shouldn't have…" he started and looked away. Hope tried to sit up.

Snape hesitated a second, then got up to help her sit. She smiled even more and nodded. "Thank you. I'll

say that. You don't have to. It is okay. I know. If you want to leave, you may go. It isn't a question of dept.

If the headmaster told you to come and see me, you may leave…" Snape felt uncomfortable. The words

were missing him, for the first time in his life he didn't know what to say. This girl had just risked her life

for him. She had protected him at high risk for her own life. Nobody had ever done that before, exept

Dumbledore. "I…" she looked away to make it easier for him. "…I'm here at free will. And…..I…..don't

know. I don't know what to…..erm… do now. You…" he got to his feet abruptly. "I understand if you

don't want to attend your second detention…"

"But I have to!" she interrupted him, making him stop to leave. "You…what? Are you nuts, girl?" he

sneered. "Well, you may not like it, but I feel…..save nontheless….with you. And you gave me detention

and I have to follow, or not?" He shook his head. "If you don't want to come, it is okay with me." Now it

was for her to be stunned. "I.. erm… I don't want, to be honest." He nodded, and Hope felt something like

resignation in his moves and voice. "I thought so…"

"I don't want to be in detention, but…." She suddenly heard herself say. "If you want somebody to talk to,

or to have a cup of tea with… or just to be not alone… I'll be there if you want me to be…I'm sorry, sir!"

she blushed, and Snape was secured that she really meant what she just said. A warm and cosy feeling

filled his heart and his mind, though he didn't know why. "Don't apologize, Hope. It may be welcomed

once." She did not miss him using her first name. She smilded and once again he felt the heat dwelling in

his heart. He crossed the room with four long steps and reached for the door. He had to be safe. Safe about

her and about his own feelings. He turned and looked at her. She smiled and her shining eyes kept locked

in his. "Do you really mean that?" Hope nodded and took a deep breath. "I'll be there." Snape closed the

door and went to go to his rooms. He needed to think about her invitation. To talk. She wanted to listen.

She was just a girl… no she wasn't just a girl. She acted so adult. She was older than the others. What did

she know? What had she experienced? Would she understand? Well, he had to try. He had to trust her. For

the first time in his life he had to trust somebody. And he wanted it to do.


	5. uncovered

It was a cold, grey morning. Hope awoke late. It was Saturday. And she had dreamed about the last night.

She was not sure weather her offer had been a good choice, or not. She had felt the warmth and

satisfaction in him when he had left her alone. She hoped that he would take her invitation. She knew the

shadows inside. She knew his pain. Because she felt the same. He had done wrong and had already suffered

a lot. He was not willing to forgive himself. Something she had managed, with great effort. After her

parents died.

He was a lonely, cold and bitter man, she had felt all the same when she had taken his pain. But no fear to

die. She had got the impression that he would rather like to die than live on. Once she had felt the same.

And she was still alive.

Slowly she drifted back to sleep, her body was fully recovered, but she was weak and had to sleep a little

longer. She was nearly asleep, her eyes blinked once and for a second. She saw pictures in front of her. She

was just on the edge to her dreames, but yet not there.

_Hooded and masked figures, all laughing._

_The cruciatus, used on her own body. Used on his body._

_Glowing, dark red eyes, narrowed in fury._

_The dark mark, burning flesh, screams, pleads for mercy._

_No mercy, no spare. __Just pain. Unimaginable pain. She felt it, like he had felt._

_She was dead. Her parents lay on the floor, at her feet. She refused, pain again._

_His body, covered in blood, his face a mask of pain and horror._

_She was covered in blood, not her blood. His blood. Their blood. He had killed them, not her._

_No movement, not sign of life. No pain. Anymore._

_His face amongst the others. This sleeve up, the dark mark. __**Noooooo!**_

She opened her eyes. She was sweatning and cold the same time. It was cold sweat on her skin, she

shiverred. Slowly she pushed the cover aside and got to her feet. For a moment she closed her eyes, then

left the hospital wing. She opened the door and headed for the library. The only place where she felt safe

now. She should better speak to Dumbledore. But surely he knew that Snape had been marked. He always

seemed to know things. He had known that she was an empathy from the moment she awoke. He seemed

to be a fool, but this old, weird wizard was bloody brilliant. Her parents had always said this. He had been

the only one he ever feared. The dark lord. Dumbledore had been able to fight him, so he knew that Snape

had the mark, but what to make of it? That should mean that Dumbledore trusted his potions master.

Otherwise he wouldn't be teaching here.

And it had just been a foolish girlish dream. How could she be secured that Snape had been among the

death eaters whom had killed her parents? Had it been a dream or one of his memories?

Sunken deep in her own thoughts she opened the door to the library and bumped into somebody. He

stepped back, she fell, but was caught and a sharp feeling of insecurance, fright and what….joy crossed her

body. It was Snape holding her on one arm, looking alarmed but not embarassed. "You shouldn't be here

by now, I suppose? Does Madam Pomfrey know that you are here on your own?" Hope closed her eyes for

a brief moment, trying hard to concentrate not to faint. "I'm not on my own, now, sir!" she replied and

straightened her body, he quickly let go of her arm. She barly could resist to do Legilimency on him, she

badly wanted to know what he was thinking now. "I see. Shall I stay then and convince Poppy that it was I

who made you leave your bed?" she smiled at him and shook her head. "You would never do that, sir. At

least not for an ordinary student…so don't bother to start now."

"You are no odinary student, Hope." May be she still was a little fuzzy in her head, or just tied, but Hope

got the impression that her Potions Professor just had turned a little red on the cheeks. "But I'm afraid I

have to ask you a question, sir, if I may." Snape nodded curtly. He seemed a little anoyed, but looked at

her, waiting. "Have you been there when Voldemort killed my parents? I had a dream this night and it may

be possible that I just saw some of your memories. You know, a side-effect of the empathy…thing…."

She scanned his face very carefull, and suddenly she saw a change in his way of moving. He was scared. Of

her?

"So you know?" Now it was her turn to nod. "I was there!" he finally said, breathy heavily and with great

effort. "I am to blame, I did not make him stop…" She took a step back. "So it is true? You are marked?"

Yet she was not as frightened as she would have been under normal circumstances. He did not move, did

not answer, just starred at her. Only few students knew that he once had been a death eater. Damned Potter,

of course, and his fellows of the golden trio. Malfoy, and some other sons and daughters of former death

eaters. So she had seen this most horrid memories, and she had not left the room by now. "Indeed." He said

carefully and held his hands up, as if he wanted her to know that he was unarmed at the moment. She eased

her body slightly. "I do not blame you, sir." Snape did not know how to reply. He had watched her parents

die, had done nothing against it and she did not blame him? " I had to ask, you know. I had to know if I

was dreaming or if I saw your memories. I can't do something against that, I just can't stop it. Sometimes

it's really scary, but normally it helps… to understand."

"So you think you understand me, just because you saw some of my memories, don't you?" he sneered

and was her greasy potions master again. The oversized bat of the dungeons, it crossed Hopes mind and

she smiled. "What is it that is so funny?" he barked and she was back in reality. She starred at him. Just

some secondes before she had thought that she felt what was torturing him, but now she just wanted to get

out of the library. "What if I really know?" she wispered. He overcame the distance between them with

one large step and grabbed her arms. He shook her and her head lolled around, uncontrolled. "I'm feeling

sick, sir, please stop…"

"You don't know anything, you stupid girl… how dare you…?" She had slipped through his fingers and

fell to the floor. She was pale and dark dots circled in front of her eyes. Then she vomited to the floor.

Snape stood, dumpstruck and did not move at all. Barly her will made her stay concious. "Try now…" she

said and looked at him. "Try legilimency now, I will not protect myself this time. Have a look. And you

will find that I know just too well…" Snape looked at her, taken aback. She offered her mind to him. She

knew he had been a death eater once, and still offered him her thoughts. "I don't want to…" He said lazily.

"Keep your thoughts. I don't want to see." She wiped her mouth with her hand and got up. "Don't you

wonder why I don't blame you for my parents deaths? And why I'm not shocked to learn that you're

marked, sir?" and with that she turned and left the library. He stood, a second or so, and starred at the

door, then moved after her. His eyes widened with horror. There she lay, motionless on the corridor-floor.

She shouldn't have left the hospital wing so early. He knelt down next to her and took her in his arms,

carrying her back to Madam Pomfrey. Carefully he placed her in her bed again and covered her. She was

asleep. How could she know….such terrible things? Would she really understand him if he'd tell her?

Trust. Could he trust her? Was he strong enough? To reveal all his secrets to one of his students? He took

her hand without knowing why. Pain crossed his whole body like a bolt of lightening.

_Hooded and masked figures, all laughing._

_The cruciatus, used on her own body. Used on his body._

_Glowing, dark red eyes, narrowed in fury._

_The dark mark, burning flesh, screams, pleads for mercy. She was not at his will._

_No mercy, no spare. __Just pain. Unimaginable pain. Her pain. His pain._

_She was dead. Her parents lay on the floor, at her feet. Their faces covered with masks. She refused, pain again. Her sleeve up, but no mark, not yet. _

_She was covered in blood, not her blood. Their blood. He had killed them, not her._

_No movement, not sign of life. No pain. Anymore. Dumbledore._

He knew exactly what he saw, but couldn't quiete believe it. Was it real? Had he just seen her memories

by touching her soft, bare skin? She had been so light in his arms, she had been so weak. He couldn't keep

his eyes off of her. She was alive, her breathing steady and her face calm and peaceful. It was a side-effect

of the empathy, maybe, but it was also possible that she really was sharing her feelings and memories with

him, and he wanted it to happen. Without knowing he was just ready to trust her and talk to her about his

past, the things he had done and the things he hadn't. And she would listen and understand. Because she

already knew…


End file.
